Harper government announces injury prevention funding

WHITEHORSE, Jan. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - Today, Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament
for Yukon, announced on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq,
Minister of Health, investments in two projects to reduce the number of
sports- and recreation-related injuries among Canadian children and
youth.

"In Canada, forty percent of all children and youth injuries are sports-
and recreation-related," said Ryan Leef. "That's why our government is
taking action to create safe sports and recreational environments where
children and youth can participate in activities that are fun, safe and
healthy."

Yukon First Nations Youth - Back to the Land, led by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, will promote safety awareness
information among children and youth living in their communities by
strengthening injury prevention knowledge and skills among First
Nations youth leaders. Information will encourage young Aboriginal
children to participate in traditional and contemporary outdoor
activities and increase awareness on ways to avoid injury.

"It is important for First Nations children and youth in Yukon to
participate in outdoor cultural activities to help keep them active and
healthy," said Kwanlin Dun Chief Rick O'Brien. "Through our
initiative, community youth leaders will encourage their peers to learn
ways to be both active and safe when playing outdoors."

Active and Safe Yukon - Building Multi-sectoral Collaboration in
Recreational Snow Sports for Children and Youth, led by the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research in partnership
with the Injury Prevention Coalition of Yukon, will review best
practices related to injury prevention, help children and youth learn
ways to play safely so they can avoid being injured during sports or
recreational activities, and develop an online tool to help connect
organizations working to prevent injuries across Yukon.

"Sports and physical activity give children and youth a chance to enjoy
the outdoors with family and friends or get involved with others in
their community so they can maintain their health," said Jody Butler
Walker, Executive Director of the Arctic Institute of Community-Based
Research. "Through our initiative, young Yukon residents and their
parents will learn ways they can be active while staying safe."

Through the Public Health Agency of Canada'sActive and Safe initiative, the federal government invests in a number of projects that focus on
preventing injuries among children and youth by reaching Canadians in
the communities where they live and play. Active and Safe encourages community level action to increase sport and recreation
safety awareness.

Également disponible en français

FACTSHEET

January 21, 2013

Injury Prevention Funding To Promote Active and Safe Play

Unintentional Injuries among Children and Youth in Canada

Sports- and recreation-related injuries make up a significant proportion
of unintentional injuries among children and youth up to age 19. In
fact, 40 per cent of child and youth injuries treated in Canadian
emergency departments are sports- and recreation-related. While the
Government of Canada encourages Canada's children and youth to become
more active and live healthy lifestyles, it is also important to ensure
their safety while being active.

Through the Public Health Agency of Canada'sActive and Safe injury prevention initiative, the Government of Canada is investing $5
million over two years to support a number of community-based projects
that empower young Canadians to make safe choices when they get
involved in sports and recreational activities.

Today's funding announcement of close to $200,000 will support 2
projects:

The Yukon First Nations Youth - Back to the Land project, led by the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, in partnership with the
Kwanlin Dun Elders Council, will promote injury prevention knowledge
and skills among First Nations youth leaders so they can encourage
children and youth to learn ways to participate safely in traditional
and contemporary outdoor activities. Youth leaders will learn injury
prevention techniques related to land-based and water-focused
activities such as fishing, canoeing, hiking, archery and snowshoeing,
and contemporary land-based activities such as snowmobiling and skiing.
With support from their communities, youth leaders will then promote
safety messages directly to their peers so they learn ways to stay
active and safe.

Active and Safe Yukon- Building Multi-sectoral Collaboration in
Recreational Snow Sports for Children and Youth, led by the Arctic Institute of Community-Based Research in partnership
with the Injury Prevention Coalition of Yukon, will review best
practices related to injury prevention, help children and youth learn
ways to play safely so they can avoid being injured during sports or
recreational activities, and develop an online tool to help connect
organizations working to prevent injuries across the Yukon.